Judge, 1913-06-14 · page 13 of 24
Judge — June 14, 1913 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip satirizing the then-newfangled **vacuum cleaner** as an unreliable household appliance. The narrative shows Mr. Binks purchasing a vacuum cleaner, which subsequently causes domestic chaos when left unattended—the machine apparently creates destruction around the home. A friend must physically pull harder on the device to stop it, playing on the double meaning of "pull" (to operate/stop the machine). The satire targets early 20th-century consumer enthusiasm for modern technology that often failed to deliver as promised. The three accompanying short humorous pieces use wordplay: one about romantic commitment, one about stoicism during fashion mishaps (note the "tube skirt" reference—a contemporary silhouette), and one using musical puns in a real-estate negotiation. The "Passed by the Board of Censorship" credit suggests Judge was proud the comic survived review—likely ironic commentary on censorship itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE’S MOTION PICTURES WHY BINKS BOUGHT THE VACUUM CLEANER. BS a ij I Hi) a LEFT TOMSELF FOR A WHILE IT BEGINS TO WORK HAVOC BINKS STO8S IT INTIME AND JUST A FRIEND OF HIS WITH A LITTLE MORE PULL AN THE CLEANER, © PASSED BY ° THE BOARD OF CENSORSHIP George Carlsen The Ambitious Vacuum Cleaner; or, One Good Pull Deserves Another, Pretty Near T WAS Sunday afternoon, and Mabel’s little sister, Ruth, aged four, was seated beside Mabel on the sofa. Present- ly the little girl asked of Mabel’s fiance: “Aren't Jyour tweetheart, Mr. Bumper?” “Well,’’ answered Mr. Bumper, with a fond glance at Mabel, ‘‘you’re the next thing to it!” The Measure of Cheerfulness I's easy enough to look cheerful When her roses wash off in the rain, But the girl who’s worth while Is the one who can smile When her tube skirt succumbs to the strain. Worrying over things that never hap- pen is an easy way to grow dyspeptic. A Music Lesson ‘ «WE must buy that house from Brown as cheaply as possible,’ said the old real-estate dealer to his young agent, “for Brown is a very clever fellow.”’ “Oh, we can get it for a song,” replied the optimistic young agent. “Then you will have to sing in the key of Be Sharp,”’ snapped the old dealer. comicbooks.com